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lauriereadslohf's reviews
1518 reviews
Female Intelligence by Jane Heller
3.0
"Female Intelligence" wasn't the best book I've ever read but for a few hours of escapism it fit the bill. Though much of the dialogue is over the top the story contained enough wit to keep me turning the pages.
For Love or Country by Kerrelyn Sparks
3.0
This is a historical romance about a manly man forced to dress as a fop in order to spy on his enemies. It's pretty rich in history yet a lot of fun at the same time. Might this be the book to get me out of my unending slump? I so hope so.
Later: I finished this up yesterday unfortunately, though it was a better than good read, it didn't get me out of my slump and it was too easy to put down. It started out fun but eventually dragged in parts and was bogged down with a too obvious villain and a few plot contrivances that annoyed. Still, the leads were lovable and there were quite a few smile inducing passages.
Later: I finished this up yesterday unfortunately, though it was a better than good read, it didn't get me out of my slump and it was too easy to put down. It started out fun but eventually dragged in parts and was bogged down with a too obvious villain and a few plot contrivances that annoyed. Still, the leads were lovable and there were quite a few smile inducing passages.
My Sexiest Mistake (Harlequin Blaze #44) by Kristin Hardy
3.0
One of the better Blaze books with an emphasis on the developing relationship and the characters outside lives (neatly integrating their careers into the plot for a change) and it wasn't just one extended sex scene. It did lose steam towards the end and the hero's constant "I can't love because my parents were so screwed up" got very old, very fast. Still, it was fun while it lasted.
The Ice Maiden by Edna Buchanan
3.0
For some reason I thought this book was a fantasy but I soon discovered it's a mystery. Mysteries usually don't hold my attention so I'll see how it goes.
Later on: I did finish this up because the writing grabbed me. It is apparently smack in the middle of a long ongoing series but the references to the earlier books didn't throw me too much although I think I would've found a deeper connection to many of the characters if I had read the earlier books first. Still, this was an attention grabbing murder mystery about a journalist following a cold case. The characterization was done very well and I genuinely cared for many of these people but when the big bad guy of the novel is finally revealed in the end it was a huge disappointment and simply unbelievable to me that the police hadn't figured it out long before. This is a dark book with a lot of pain suffered by most of the characters and adding to that is the fact that it takes place right after the 911 attacks. Don't read this if you need some cheering up!
Later on: I did finish this up because the writing grabbed me. It is apparently smack in the middle of a long ongoing series but the references to the earlier books didn't throw me too much although I think I would've found a deeper connection to many of the characters if I had read the earlier books first. Still, this was an attention grabbing murder mystery about a journalist following a cold case. The characterization was done very well and I genuinely cared for many of these people but when the big bad guy of the novel is finally revealed in the end it was a huge disappointment and simply unbelievable to me that the police hadn't figured it out long before. This is a dark book with a lot of pain suffered by most of the characters and adding to that is the fact that it takes place right after the 911 attacks. Don't read this if you need some cheering up!
The House Next Door by Anne Rivers Siddons
5.0
Colquitt & Walter Kennedy are a comfortable couple living out their dreams in an affluent suburb and then the lot next to them is sold . . . It has some very sinister undertones and I'm looking forward to discovering what happens next.
Later: This was a great book. I remember picking it up because it was on Stephen King's recommended reading list in Entertainment Weekly a few years back. It's a story about a group of upper class people who have lived charmed lives until construction begins in a previously unbuildable empty lot in their development. From the beginning ominous events occur and as time goes by the incidents become much more appalling and life changing for the residents nearby. I don't want to give too much away but if you like a good old fashioned soap opera/spooky tale this is as good as they get.
Later: This was a great book. I remember picking it up because it was on Stephen King's recommended reading list in Entertainment Weekly a few years back. It's a story about a group of upper class people who have lived charmed lives until construction begins in a previously unbuildable empty lot in their development. From the beginning ominous events occur and as time goes by the incidents become much more appalling and life changing for the residents nearby. I don't want to give too much away but if you like a good old fashioned soap opera/spooky tale this is as good as they get.
Eternal by Cynthia Leitich Smith
2.0
I have not read book one in this series and listened to this as an unabridged audio borrowed from the library (love my library!).
Miranda is an ordinary enough shy teen struggling with belonging, cliques and all of that high school stuff that means nothing once you graduate. She humiliates herself by trying out of for the school theater group and plans to spend yet another Valentine's Day watching movies with her best friend because neither have a boyfriend. But their plans change and she ends up in a cemetery where she is accosted by a vampire who makes her one too . . . Yikes. She also has a guardian angel named Zackary who loses his wings when he exposes himself while trying to change the path of Miranda's life (or death).
Fast forward a year or so and Miranda is now a vampire. This whole thing was bothersome in the fact that so many events and feelings were just skipped and it seemed like lazy writing to me. She's a vampire but we don't get to experience how she adjusts with the angst of it all. We're just told that she's finished up with her soul sickness time or some such nonsense and she's now a gorgeous bloodthirsty beast of a princess. She calls her maker "Daddy" and seems to love him dearly simply because he lavishes her with $1000.00 t-shirts and custom made gowns and of course plenty of fresh bodies to torture and slaughter. Shallow much? Her complete character turn-around didn't work for me because her year of "soul-sickness" was glossed over. I needed some genuine, gut-wrenching sorrow to buy this but didn't get it. In fact, she didn't seem to miss her previous life at all.
Meanwhile, Zackary sans wings is given a new assignment involving Miranda though he doesn't know it. Somehow they fall in love but I never bought it because neither character was developed well and their love story thus was not believable. The ending did work for me. Sadly, this could have been a deep, emotional five star read but fell flat due to the shallow character building and the lack of any real chemistry and bond between the characters.
Miranda is an ordinary enough shy teen struggling with belonging, cliques and all of that high school stuff that means nothing once you graduate. She humiliates herself by trying out of for the school theater group and plans to spend yet another Valentine's Day watching movies with her best friend because neither have a boyfriend. But their plans change and she ends up in a cemetery where she is accosted by a vampire who makes her one too . . . Yikes. She also has a guardian angel named Zackary who loses his wings when he exposes himself while trying to change the path of Miranda's life (or death).
Fast forward a year or so and Miranda is now a vampire. This whole thing was bothersome in the fact that so many events and feelings were just skipped and it seemed like lazy writing to me. She's a vampire but we don't get to experience how she adjusts with the angst of it all. We're just told that she's finished up with her soul sickness time or some such nonsense and she's now a gorgeous bloodthirsty beast of a princess. She calls her maker "Daddy" and seems to love him dearly simply because he lavishes her with $1000.00 t-shirts and custom made gowns and of course plenty of fresh bodies to torture and slaughter. Shallow much? Her complete character turn-around didn't work for me because her year of "soul-sickness" was glossed over. I needed some genuine, gut-wrenching sorrow to buy this but didn't get it. In fact, she didn't seem to miss her previous life at all.
Meanwhile, Zackary sans wings is given a new assignment involving Miranda though he doesn't know it. Somehow they fall in love but I never bought it because neither character was developed well and their love story thus was not believable. The ending did work for me. Sadly, this could have been a deep, emotional five star read but fell flat due to the shallow character building and the lack of any real chemistry and bond between the characters.
Those Baby Blues by Sheridon Smythe
1.0
I read this for my local romance readers group. The back blurb sounded terrible so my expectations weren't that high and it didn't disappoint ;)
The movie star hero with the “baby blues” is named Treet. That’s TREET with two E’s and if that wasn't enough to annoy me right off the bat we've got a big burly bodyguard creatively named Brutal. Groan . . .
Treet, our oh-so-fine looking movie star hero is a loving father who is also very much in love with himself and his gorgeous baby blue eyes (which are mentioned far, far too often, I might add). The heroine Kayleigh, Hayleigh, Harebrained or is it Hair-Across-Her-Butt? I can't remember. Anyway, whatever her name is flies off the handle for the littlest thing and as if her annoying personality wasn't bad enough she comes saddled with a bratty, spoiled kid who desperately needs a good swat on the bum (if you ask me). Give me one of these annoying elements and I can move on. Give me all of these things tied together with a highly improbable plot and then add in some humor that only the pea brained hero and heroine think is funny and I am not a happy girl.
Later: Did I mention the plot centers on a mixed up baby scenario? Anyway, Hayleigh and Treet accidentally end up with each others kids and the book begins as they’re discovering the mix up four years later. I’m now past the halfway point where Big Ol’ Baby Blue has moved himself, Miss Temper Puss and the two brats to Clint Eastwood’s ranch (yep, that Clint Eastwood) so everyone can get all cozy. Unfortunately, there is neither humor, nor tenderness and the wee wisp of a plot isn’t enough to keep me going. I have officially given up on this book after wasting yet another too short lunch break.
The movie star hero with the “baby blues” is named Treet. That’s TREET with two E’s and if that wasn't enough to annoy me right off the bat we've got a big burly bodyguard creatively named Brutal. Groan . . .
Treet, our oh-so-fine looking movie star hero is a loving father who is also very much in love with himself and his gorgeous baby blue eyes (which are mentioned far, far too often, I might add). The heroine Kayleigh, Hayleigh, Harebrained or is it Hair-Across-Her-Butt? I can't remember. Anyway, whatever her name is flies off the handle for the littlest thing and as if her annoying personality wasn't bad enough she comes saddled with a bratty, spoiled kid who desperately needs a good swat on the bum (if you ask me). Give me one of these annoying elements and I can move on. Give me all of these things tied together with a highly improbable plot and then add in some humor that only the pea brained hero and heroine think is funny and I am not a happy girl.
Later: Did I mention the plot centers on a mixed up baby scenario? Anyway, Hayleigh and Treet accidentally end up with each others kids and the book begins as they’re discovering the mix up four years later. I’m now past the halfway point where Big Ol’ Baby Blue has moved himself, Miss Temper Puss and the two brats to Clint Eastwood’s ranch (yep, that Clint Eastwood) so everyone can get all cozy. Unfortunately, there is neither humor, nor tenderness and the wee wisp of a plot isn’t enough to keep me going. I have officially given up on this book after wasting yet another too short lunch break.
George & the Virgin by Lisa Cach
5.0
This is a romantic time-travel/fantasy that starts out in the middle ages in a small village filled with superstitious weaklings who sacrifice one of their virgin daughters to the local dragon once a year (because they’re apparently too lame to face him down).
When the story begins Alizon, a 14 yr old virgin, is desperately trying to rid herself of her virginity with a loathsome and clueless boy to avoid being the dragon’s next dinner. The scene is quite funny, Alizon is mouthy and strong willed.
George, the hero of the story, lives in modern times. He’s a professional wrestler for a foundation similar to the WWE (or whatever they’re calling themselves these days) and is sent back to medieval times by his new age sister. He is a very likable character with heart, self-doubt and a conscience.
This book is fabulous and a definite recommend.
When the story begins Alizon, a 14 yr old virgin, is desperately trying to rid herself of her virginity with a loathsome and clueless boy to avoid being the dragon’s next dinner. The scene is quite funny, Alizon is mouthy and strong willed.
George, the hero of the story, lives in modern times. He’s a professional wrestler for a foundation similar to the WWE (or whatever they’re calling themselves these days) and is sent back to medieval times by his new age sister. He is a very likable character with heart, self-doubt and a conscience.
This book is fabulous and a definite recommend.
Naked Came the Phoenix by J.D. Robb, Nevada Barr, Marcia Talley
3.0
Naked Came The Phoenix was a book selection for two of my local reading groups because we were intrigued by its unusual format. Twelve bestselling mystery and suspense author joined together to contribute a chapter to this murder-mystery, soap-opera. The catch? Each other must pick up where the last left off and continue the story using the same cast of characters, all of who get zanier as the story progresses.
The opening chapter written by Nevada Barr sets up the story and, in my opinion, was the driest, dullest entry in the entire book. It’s here that the lifeless main characters are introduced (luckily they don’t stay that way!). After the recent death of her father, Caroline, wife of a big shot Congressman, agrees to spend some quality bonding time with her difficult mother at a high-end health spa. Caroline’s fellow guests at the spa include an aging rock legend, a quirky psychic, a starving model and loads of other oddballs and Hollywood “it” types.
After the slow start, JD Robb picks up the tempo in chapter two. She breaths life into Caroline’s character by bringing her down to earth in a funny little adventure brought about by hunger. She also adds a hunky pool-boy to the ever growing list of characters and kicks things into high gear by killing off the snooty spa owner.
Things get silly as each character seems to harbor some dirty secret and the murder count becomes ridiculously high as each author adds their own little twists and turns to the story and attempts to pick up where the previous author left off. A friend of mine described the characters as “manic depressives” and she was right on. Each character switches moods and personalities from chapter to chapter which only added to the sense of fun. Eventually, all dangling threads and over-the-top plot twists were neatly brought together by author Laurie King.
I’d read another book like Naked Came The Phoenix for the fun factor alone. But would I read this one again? Umm, probably not.
The opening chapter written by Nevada Barr sets up the story and, in my opinion, was the driest, dullest entry in the entire book. It’s here that the lifeless main characters are introduced (luckily they don’t stay that way!). After the recent death of her father, Caroline, wife of a big shot Congressman, agrees to spend some quality bonding time with her difficult mother at a high-end health spa. Caroline’s fellow guests at the spa include an aging rock legend, a quirky psychic, a starving model and loads of other oddballs and Hollywood “it” types.
After the slow start, JD Robb picks up the tempo in chapter two. She breaths life into Caroline’s character by bringing her down to earth in a funny little adventure brought about by hunger. She also adds a hunky pool-boy to the ever growing list of characters and kicks things into high gear by killing off the snooty spa owner.
Things get silly as each character seems to harbor some dirty secret and the murder count becomes ridiculously high as each author adds their own little twists and turns to the story and attempts to pick up where the previous author left off. A friend of mine described the characters as “manic depressives” and she was right on. Each character switches moods and personalities from chapter to chapter which only added to the sense of fun. Eventually, all dangling threads and over-the-top plot twists were neatly brought together by author Laurie King.
I’d read another book like Naked Came The Phoenix for the fun factor alone. But would I read this one again? Umm, probably not.
In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
2.0
Read this one in a day (it's only 147 pages after all) and though it was interesting it wasn't all that memorable.
In the Forest of the Night contains only 147 pages and those pages are filled with big fonts and lots of white space.
Risika is a 300 year old vampire who was turned and torn from everything she loved when she was only seventeen. The story flips back and forth between present day and the time when Risika was a mortal on the eve of her change.
I thought the past story was more engaging than the present. In the present Risika discovers that her archenemy, a darkly handsome Eeevil vampire named Aubrey (who is evil, I'm guessing, simply because he can be), is near and begins causing her great distress. She fears him, he's more powerful than she, but yet stubbornly defies him, baits him and, by her actions, basically dares him to come after her. It didn't make any sense to me. Because of her actions a tragedy occurs. For a 300 year old vampire she doesn't appear all that bright and is completely ineffective for the majority of the book when it comes to dealing with Aubrey. The glimpses into Risika's past as she learns to live her life in darkness are much more interesting than the present bits with Aubrey.
The writer was only thirteen when she wrote the story (according to the blurb) and, to my jaded eyes, it shows. Her character lacks maturity and common sense and character motivation wasn't explored as nearly as fully as it should have been. There was also an odd sense of emotional detachment throughout the book and I never felt like I knew any of these characters very well. But it was the ending that truly did me in. Everything is wrapped up with a twist that isn't explained and didn't make a lick of sense and, again, the lead character acts oddly and without emotion. Though the atmosphere was done exceptionally well (all dark and broody-like) I was left in the dark too often when it came to character motivation and the plot was too thin to rate this book as anything more than average.
In the Forest of the Night contains only 147 pages and those pages are filled with big fonts and lots of white space.
Risika is a 300 year old vampire who was turned and torn from everything she loved when she was only seventeen. The story flips back and forth between present day and the time when Risika was a mortal on the eve of her change.
I thought the past story was more engaging than the present. In the present Risika discovers that her archenemy, a darkly handsome Eeevil vampire named Aubrey (who is evil, I'm guessing, simply because he can be), is near and begins causing her great distress. She fears him, he's more powerful than she, but yet stubbornly defies him, baits him and, by her actions, basically dares him to come after her. It didn't make any sense to me. Because of her actions a tragedy occurs. For a 300 year old vampire she doesn't appear all that bright and is completely ineffective for the majority of the book when it comes to dealing with Aubrey. The glimpses into Risika's past as she learns to live her life in darkness are much more interesting than the present bits with Aubrey.
The writer was only thirteen when she wrote the story (according to the blurb) and, to my jaded eyes, it shows. Her character lacks maturity and common sense and character motivation wasn't explored as nearly as fully as it should have been. There was also an odd sense of emotional detachment throughout the book and I never felt like I knew any of these characters very well. But it was the ending that truly did me in. Everything is wrapped up with a twist that isn't explained and didn't make a lick of sense and, again, the lead character acts oddly and without emotion. Though the atmosphere was done exceptionally well (all dark and broody-like) I was left in the dark too often when it came to character motivation and the plot was too thin to rate this book as anything more than average.